The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Abridged Edition

While they did send me a copy of the book it was not the one pictured, not of the same publishing company, and only one random volume of the work that was also never mentioned when purchasing, definitely not worth the $12

The title sums this up: this book chronicles the history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Beyond that, Gibbon has some literary whit about him that he sprinkles and withholds throughout this book at will, leaving the final product a bit of a rollercoaster of dry facts interspersed with more engagingly written historical anecdotes and trivia. I would probably not have finished this if it wasn't required reading for a class, but I'm glad I did, and didn't have much issues pushing myself to get through it.

In spite of ordering, and paying for, volumes 1 - 3 I received just volume 2. At no time was I informed that the entire could not be fulfilled. A text, email or call would have sufficed

Long. Very enjoyable though, even if sometimes dry. Gibbon has a wit about him. And if you are interested in linguistics and history, the way in which he uses words is an interesting foray into the changes in the English language since the book's writing.

Moses Hadas was a noted classical scholar and a talented writer. His version of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, is the most accessible version available. It retains many of Gibbons insights and offers some of Gibbon's most interesting quotes, as: "...so intimate is the connection between the throne and the alter that the banner of the church is very seldom seen on the side of the people." For anyone interested in the similarities between Rome and the United States it is a must read.

I gave this book 5 stars because of the incredible content. The book is well written and fairly easy to read, though it is very long. I can't imagine reading the entire volume set written by Gibbons. The only problem I have with this book is that the author does drone on a bit.

Gibbon must be taken in the context of his time - his writing style, his prejudices, and his occasional lapse into sermonizing. His style is to say in 30-words what others would say in less than 10. His prejudices are many but one that seems to permeate most is the over-emphasis on the western empire at the expense of the east. It is as if the eastern empire did not survive another millennia after the fall of the west. But given difficult reading and language constructs and the slanted views, a greater work on the subject of the western empire probably does not exist. It is an essential though somewhat distasteful standard for anyone interested in Roman history. As yet, there is nothing comparable in scope for the western empire. For a balanced and more readable coverage of the east, I would highly recommend supplementing with the works of John Julius Norwich such as the three part history beginning with Byzantium: The Early Centuries. In addition, it would be good to supplement your study with Caesar and Christ: A History of Roman Civilization and of Christianity from Their Beginnings to A.D. 325 (Story of Civilization, No 3).

I think the other reviewer misunderstands Hadas's intention. As Hadas states in his introduction, this book is intended as digest and, hopefully, a guide to the fuller work. Hadas pragmatically realizes that most readers are unlikely to undertake a multi-volume book that totals literally thousands of pages; but his abridgement -- rendered with admirable coherence for such an undertaking -- provides both a taste of the fuller work and hopefully a temptation to read it. If more scholars like Hadas existed, the great works of literature and antquity might have a broader readership today.